The Duke of Morewether’s Secret (10 page)

An angry goddess.

“Anna,” Thea’s low alto resounded in the entry hall. “What are you doing here?”

“Would you like me to fetch someone, my lady?” The footman asked. The man sized him up as if he, himself, would oust the duke from his mistress’s front hall.

“Do I need to call another footman?” Thea asked, her attention fixed on Christian.

“No,” Anna interjected. “Give him a few minutes.”

Christian let Anna plead his case, mostly because he was having trouble forming a reasonable argument.

“Right?”

Anna was asking him a question. “Hummm?” He snapped back to attention.

“You’re not going to cause a problem, are you?” Anna asked again.

“No.” Christian shook his head vigorously, and immediately realized that action wasn’t a smart move. He closed his eyes until the swaying stopped. “Just a few minutes, Thea.”

Thea’s hard gaze worried him in its unwavering tenacity. Christian made every effort not to fidget. Finally, she looked to her servant and excused the man.

~~~***~~~

All night, ever since leaving the hateful scene of her disgrace, Thea had been running an internal monologue which sounded exactly like her mother’s voice, her bitter angry mother berating her for being foolish, naïve, and irrational.

“Why would you let that man kiss you?” her mother’s voice droned on. “You knew he’d humiliate you in some fashion. That’s what men like him do.”

Thea knew this lecture by heart; she’d heard it so many times. Men like her father and Christian were predisposed to hurt those who loved them. Not that Thea loved Christian, but her mother had surely loved her father, cad that he was. Her parent’s love story was a cautionary tale. Her mother, the lovely and innocent daughter of a wealthy ministry official, had fallen in love at first sight with the dashing Viscount Ashbrook, and he had wooed her with unwavering tenacity. The Englishman professed undying love for the maiden, and there was no thought of denying him anything he asked. She loved him through the early years of their marriage and his affairs, none of which was ever discreet. She loved him even after his outraged disappointment when she gave birth to a girl and not the necessary heir. No other children had been born. Thea didn’t know if the absence of babies was due to her mother’s difficult pregnancy with her or stubbornness on her mother’s part.

At some point in their twenty-five year marriage, the betrayals and abuse had taken their toll, and her mother’s adoration had grown dark and cancerous. She refused to ignore his dalliances any longer. There were simply too many children in the neighboring villages and towns with his distinctive eyes, to brush off. Marriage to Viscount Ashbrook turned Thea’s once alluring and sweet-natured mother into a twisted, angry crone. She made it her mission to prevent Thea from falling into the same trap.

Thea didn’t need the lectures from her mother. Certainly, she never wanted to be treated with the same disdain by any man, but that wasn’t the sticking point for her. No, it was the callous disregard he gave his children. As his only legitimate child, Thea was useless as far as the Viscount Ashbrook was concerned. As she was not male and thus ineligible to take on the future responsibilities of the title, he paid little attention to her. Nevertheless, she thrust herself into his life, insinuating herself into his work, assisting him with cataloguing and studying precious Greek antiquities. She developed an appreciation of her homeland and classical Greece. What it also brought her was intimate knowledge of her father’s affairs.

The women he bedded, who she determined got exactly what they deserved, were not as important to Thea as the discovery that she had half-brothers. An only child ignored by her father and smothered by her mother, she had longed for siblings her parents weren’t able or willing to provide. When Thea expressed her excitement at the discovery to her father, he refused to make introductions. In fact, he forbade her from seeking them out. They were useless bastards, he told her, not worthy of his attention which apparently also meant they were not deserving of his support. Thea simply could not fathom her father’s ability to throw away his own blood, to discard them like refuse.

Thea didn’t care about his other women, but his sons were another matter entirely. She diverted her allowances to provide what the boys needed as often as she was able. Despite her father’s wishes, she developed companionable acquaintances with them, especially one close to her own age.

When her father died several months after her mother’s death, it was Thea who discovered her father’s criminal activity. She had no idea how much of his wealth had been obtained selling Greek treasures illegally, but it according to his records, it was a significant amount. His betrayal felt bottomless. She inherited everything — everything except the title of Viscount Ashbrook and the entailed English estates. Thea considered a blessing rather than a loss. By then, her opinion of English aristocracy resided somewhere below pig wallow, but the fortune she inherited would go far to making amends. It became Thea’s driving wish to give her brothers all the opportunities lost to them by the misfortune of their birth, and to bring as many antiquities as she could manage back to where they belonged.

That is what brought her to London and sent her to every ball, house party, county rout and charity function she could attend. Thea was grateful to her old friend Anna for all her important introductions as well as for her friendship. Thea would get her brothers educated in the finest English schools even if that meant she had to throw pounds sterling at every single whim of society
ton
to do it.

That being said, she had made some wonderful connections in London. Anna’s friends turned out to be genuinely fine people, not at all what she’d expected when she assumed all English aristocracy was as snobbish as her father. How could such a stuffy society, which dictated such rigid societal rules, turn a blind eye to the rakish behavior of men like her father? Anna and her friends were diamonds in that rough.

Unfortunately, Christian’s creed was clearly similar to her father’s. Other people’s feelings, especially woman’s, were of little consequence when weighed against satisfying one’s his urges.

Thea convinced herself she had got exactly what was coming to her by letting that man kiss her. Any humiliation she was forced to swallow now would be better than what would come to her if she made the same mistake as her mother. She should have known better.

Stupid, stupid girl.

She stared at Christian swaying drunkenly in her foyer. The beast had absolutely no right to stand there looking contrite and sinful at the same time. It was only because Anna stood next to him, vouching for his good intentions, that she hadn’t allowed her footmen to toss him out the front door on his well turned-out ass.

“Miss Ashbrook, I humbly beg you to allow me to apologize.”

Chapter Nine

Damn him straight to hell.

As soon as Anna had excused herself, Christian had taken Thea’s hands in his. He said all the right words and made all the right contrite faces. He had no defense, he told her. He said he didn’t understand what had happened. What he did profess to know for certain was that he held her in the greatest esteem. He vowed he’d never hurt her feelings again. He begged her to allow him to make it up to her.

Later, she’d certainly regret giving into his charade, but he sounded sincere.

“I want to see your horse farm,” she told him.

“That’s all you require of me?” he asked her, disbelief shown in his eyes.

“Maybe. Maybe not.” She shrugged. “I have been pining to go on a real run on a fast horse ever since I arrived in England. There isn’t a single acceptable one to be hired here in town. You show me your famous horses, and I’ll consider being your friend again.”

He exhaled and gave her a stunning grin. “I thought for sure you’d come up with something awful.”

Now that idea was intriguing. “Oh. I despise an opportunity lost. What would you have demanded in my place?”

Without hesitation he blurted out, “I’d have demanded another kiss.”

Thea was much too put out by the evening’s events to even entertain that idea. “I think not.”

“I wouldn’t be me if I didn’t at least ask.” His cheeky smile remained, flashing white teeth and, damn it all, a boyish charm that was not at all off-putting.

Thea made every attempt to keep the sarcasm level high. “I think I’ll stick with my original requirement.”

“Tomorrow. I’ll take you tomorrow,” he promised, right hand over his heart.

“Are you sure you’ll be in any condition to ride tomorrow?” Thea was skeptical. The man was foxed, although to be fair, the minute he launched into his apology he seemed to sober immensely.

“Thea, I’m willing to ride to the moon on the back of a borrowed mule if it would insure you’d forgive my egregious behavior.”

“Instead, I’ll just visit the farm.”

Christian stood opposite her in the shadowy hall, the seriousness of moments ago gone, replaced by that lethal grin. Suddenly, he seemed a bit pogy again.

“What?” she asked, afraid to hear the answer.

“You look like Aphrodite personified.” His gaze drifted lower, hovered around her breasts, dipped lower and slid slowly across her hips then down to her toes.

Thea clucked her tongue and turned her face away for an instant before returning to meet his gaze. “Don’t be ridiculous,” she told him. “I’m more inclined to accept your apology if you don’t insult me with outrageous compliments you don’t really mean.”

Thea wished she could believe the flattering words he told her. She wished even more that he would believe them, too, but that was unrealistic. She reminded herself men like Christian and her father had silver tongues and a whole coterie of broken hearts won over by pretty words. A smart woman didn’t take those words to heart.
Slippery slope,
her mother’s voice intoned.

“I mean them,” he promised. Then he kissed her like he wanted to prove it.

She kissed him back like she wanted proof.

It was stupid. She’d even specifically said no kissing. Well not specifically, actually. Come to think of it she may have never said the word no at all. The voice in her head screamed at her to throw him out and go back to bed. Alone. But she really didn’t want to. Throw him out, that is. She couldn’t think about that other thing right now.

Christian withdrew his lips from hers and rested his forehead against hers. “Thea,” he whispered. His breath fluttered past her ear. “Don’t be angry at me.”

She didn’t answer. She should be angry.

“Please,” he kissed her neck under her ear.

“I should, you know.”
Oh Thea.
Her mother’s disappointed voice resonated in her head.

“I’ll make it up to you,” he promised, then his lips covered hers again.

The man was an excellent kisser. His arms held her strong against his chest and it seemed only right her arms should find their way to twine about his neck. Masterful, that was the word to describe his kissing. Thea didn’t want to think about all the things she should be doing and thinking. No, she wanted to melt into the kiss and let it take her away from her responsibilities, duties, and promises. Christian adjusted the angle of his mouth and deepened the kiss with a groan of satisfaction that resonated deep within her. Feeling wide awake but more relaxed than she ever remembered feeling before, she thought she might sink to the floor.

“Here I am, walking down the hall.” Anna’s voice resonated off the marble tile. “It’s late, and I’m certain everyone would love to go back to bed now.”

Thea pulled away first. Anna’s voice accomplished the task Thea was certain it was intended for. Christian was slower to come around and it was several seconds before his arms came away from around her, and she was able to put some distance between them.

“I’ll come collect you in the morning,” he promised.

“If you even remember. You’ll be sleeping off those spirits for hours yet, and I’m not convinced you’ll even recall these events.”

Christian shook his head. “I’ll not forget. I’m looking forward to it more than anything in a long time.”

Anna stepped foot into the entry with an exaggerated yawn. “Is everything resolved? Can we all go back to bed now?”

“Wear your habit,” he instructed and kissed the palm of her hand. One more heart-melting grin before Anna bustled him out the door.

Thea stood in the hallway, dumbstruck, as her footman reappeared to lock the door and inquire to her needs. She didn’t have any. Needs. Other than some common sense and a little backbone, she didn’t need anything.

She was going riding tomorrow on a real horse. She couldn’t decide if she was more excited about the promise of a thoroughbred or spending more time with the duke.

You are well and truly a fool, Althea Eugenia Ashbrook, and you deserve what you get.

How bad was it that she fervently hoped another kiss was in the offing?

Well, glory be, the man showed up promptly at the stroke of ten. He looked impossibly debonair for a man who, only hours before, had been completely foxed. Camel colored trousers disappeared into gleaming Hessian boots. His morning coat fit him like a second skin, stretching across his broad shoulders.

“You look very well turned out, considering.” Thea offered the compliment on the walkway outside her townhouse.

The morning was perfect for a day trip. The sky burned clear and blue for the first time since Thea had arrived in the city. She wanted to be homesick but she couldn’t bring herself to be maudlin with the prospect of a jaunt out of the city with the promise of a fast ride on a swift horse.

“I pay my valet well to make sure of that every day.” Christian’s smile was ready. “It’s the least I can do.”

That might be one of her favorite things about the duke — his self-deprecating humor. Was there anything more attractive in a person than refusing to take oneself too seriously? Except perhaps confidence and, of course, good looks and an easy smile and the ability to put people at ease. Oh, and love of family, that was paramount. Mentally Thea furrowed her brow. Why was she cataloging the man’s good qualities?